The invention relates to an apparatus for furling a sailboat jib about a forestay.
Most sailboats, particularly larger boats intended primarily for cruising, are designed to carry a jib. Conventionally the jib is attached to a forestay extending between the bow of the boat and the mast. On such boats roller furlers are conventionally used to wrap the jib around the forestay for storage.
Conventional roller furlers include a cylindrical sleeve mounted for rotation about the forestay and attached to the jib at either end. At the lower end of the sleeve a drum is mounted to which a rope is attached permitting rotation of the drum and hence furling and unfurling of the jib from the cockpit. While such rollers are indeed useful, evidenced by the fact that many sailboats of this type are equipped with the same, they have a considerable number of drawbacks.
First, even with the use of a deck winch it is almost impossible to furl the jib in a strong wind. Second, the rope attached to the drum tends to chafe and break, usually at a difficult time. In a reefing condition the rope stretches during use and it is difficult it not possible to retighten the jib under full sail to compensate for the stretch. The rope necessarily obstructs the deck and can catch on the drum, deck fittings and turnbuckles. Moreover, it is easy to forget to cleat the rope, and this results in the jib coming loose at unfortunate times.
The present invention relates to an improved apparatus of this type which overcomes the above noted problems with rotary furlers now in use. The apparatus uses a cylindrical sleeve which is mounted about the forestay in the same fashion as corresponding sleeves on existing roller furlers as described above. Indeed the present invention can be readily adapted to modify such existing roller furlers and avoid the need for a complete retrofit.
A rotary actuator is mounted on the deck adjacent the forestay and coupled to the sleeve for rotating the same to furl the jib. Preferably, the rotary actuator includes a pair of right angle driving and driven gears mounted within a suitable bracket. A gear box is mounted to the sailboat at a location remote from that of the rotary actuator, preferably near the cockpit where it can be most conveniently and easily operated by the captain or crew. The gear box is coupled to the rotary actuator, preferably by a flexible cable which can be guided as desired and thus placed where it will not easily be fouled or tripped over by crew members. For example the flexible shaft may be guided by suitable guide members along the toe rail or even under the deck. The use of a gear box provides any desired mechanical advantage and makes possible for the first time furling of the jib under full sail and even reefing of the jib to meet changing wind conditions.
When the apparatus is to be adapted to conventional roller furlers a split adapter can be employed having a diameter to match the diameter of any given existing roller furler. Existing roller furlers from different manufacturers have sleeves of different diameters but by providing a limited set of split adapters the present invention can be adapted to almost any existing roller furler.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.